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The Spike: or, Victoria College Review, September 1923

Debating Society

page 56

Debating Society

Urquent Rustice Sane

Things continue to flourish with the Debating Society. In common with other clubs, we notice that an intense lack of interest in the corporate life of the College is characteristic of some hundreds of "students"; still, there has been no lack of speakers, and audiences have generally been well beyond the seating capacity provided in the gymnasium. The attendance of the public is welcomed at all debates, and motions discussed are submitted first to a vote of the entire audience and then to a vote of Debating Society members alone.

On the 23rd June the annual debate with the local Social Democratic party gave way to a debate on the disfranchisement of conscientious objectors, the principal speakers on each side being members of the House of Representatives. Messrs. G. R. Sykes (Masterton) and J. A. Young (Hamilton) upheld the disfranchisement, whilst Messrs. W. J. Jordan (Manukau) and J. A. Lee (Auckland East) opposed. A spirited debate ensued, the audience, which included a seasoning of a score or so of politicians, entering with great zest into the proceedings. The meeting ended peaceably after the C.O's right to the franchise had been endorsed by the meeting and by ourselves alone.

The motion on 7th July was: "That Mr. Massey's dictum that in international questions the Empire must always come first is to be condemned as incompatible with adherence to the League of Nations." Messrs. G. Black and W. P. Rollings appeared in support, while Messrs. J. B. Yaldwyn and A. W. Free led for the negative. The movers explained that the dictum under debate had been uttered by the Prime Minister when he was invited to identify himself with the local branch of the League of Nations Union. They claimed that it was typical of the general attitude adopted by our statesmen towards other nations, and that it embodied all the bad features of the narrow and exclusive nationalism which leads to war. Their opponents urged that there was nothing in the Prime Minister's utterance inconsistent with his support of the League of Nations. In view of the state of the world, it was vitally necessary to safeguard the Empire. The opposers also adverted to the reality of the Yellow Peril. The motion was carried twice and the judge, Mr. C. H. Taylor, gave places to Campbell, Davidson, Yaldwyn, Black, and Miss Patterson.

At this juncture the regular routine of fortnightly debates was rudely disturbed by the much-postponed Extravaganza and there was a lapse of a month between the last debate and the next. On the 4th August the Government encouragement of immigration was upheld by Messrs. S. E. Baume and C. E. Ball and opposed by Messrs. R. M. Campbell and H. A. Heron. A more or less animated discussion centred around the intensity of the cry for settlement arising from the unexplored prairies of this young land; the quality of the immigrants offering; and generally the relative merits of a large and a small population. The audience as a whole voted with the negative, while the case for the affirmative was upheld by members of the Society. Mr. R. Kennedy awarded places to Baume, Campbell, Hurley, Rollings and Heron.

The Bible-in-Schools question was dissected on 11th August, when Messrs. J. C. McCaw and W. P. Rollings moved: "That approval is to be given to the principle of introducing the Bible into all State schools in New Zealand." The leaders for the negative were Messrs. R. F. Fortune and H. A. Heron. The affirmative stressed the inadequacy of the home and the church in bringing before the rising generation the great spiritual truths of the Bible. They argued that there was at last substantial agreement page 57 amongst the people of New Zealand on the vexed question of religion in schools; granted a conscience clause for parents, pupils, and teachers, the proposed instruction by teachers from an approved book was acceptable to ninety per cent, of the people. The opposers vigorously condemned the attempts to impose upon children the creeds and dogmas of any religion. Not a single tenet of the Christian faith, they contended, was free from ambiguity, and the very conception of a personal God was repugnant to a large and increasing number of people. The history of England was an eloquent argument for the separation of the State from the Church, a separation which could not be maintained if the principle advocated in the motion were given effect to. The motion was eventually defeated when submitted to the entire audience and the same fate befell it at the hands of the members of the Debating Society; the Religious Exercises in Schools Bill, then before the legislature, was not proceeded with. The Hon. J. A. Hanan adjudged as the best speakers: Campbell, Martin-Smith, Fortune. Rollings, and McCaw.

For the third Saturday in succession we had a highly successful debate on the 18th August. Perhaps, in the light of this experience, we shall some day grow ambitious and emulate the Debating Union of Oxford, where debates are held every Thursday night "and last from eight o'clock to about half-past eleven, when we trudge home, elated or depressed, according to the result, through the dark old streets to our respective colleges." However, we were about to record the fact that on this particular occasion the Debating Society touched upon the field of politics, and the fixture was a Visitors' Debate. Mr. J. A. Lee seconded Mr. J. W. G. Davidson in moving: 'That the attitude of the New Zealand Labour Party in foreign affairs, as manifested in the events of recent years, is the only attitude that gives promise of world's peace." Mr. A. B. Sievwright supported Mr. H. McCormick in opposing. The movers urged that the Labour Party, in New Zealand as elsewhere, was the only political party that stood for the fundamental changes that must be made if the world were to be saved from wars without end. Its attitude at the time of the late crisis in the Near East had been funy vindicated by the-course of subsequent events. The opposers of the motion saw in the doctrines of the Labour Party the certainty of disaster for New Zealand, for the Empire, and consequently for the peace of the world. The verdict of the audience and of our own members coincided in favour of Messrs. Davidson and Lee. Places were awarded by the judge, Mr. E. P. Hay, to the following College speakers: Campbell, Davidson, McCormick. Rollings and Miss Patterson.